(Or Salad of White Bean and Tuna)
Don’t things just sound fancier if you say their foreign name? I wish someone asked me what I had for lunch, then I can say fagioli e tonno instead of beans and canned tuna. But in spite it’s fancy name, this dish is down-to-earth, super easy to prepare, and made with ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen.
This simple Italian salad is bursting with protein from the cannellini beans and tuna, and for added nutrients, I served it on top of some spinach.
Insalata di Fagioli e Tonno
(original recipe from Saveur)
1/2 cup cannellini beans
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar (I used a Tangerine balsamic vinegar from Boston Olive Oil Co. but traditionally, red wine vinegar is used)
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper, to taste
pinch of red pepper flakes
1/2 can tuna in olive oil
1 cup fresh spinach
Whisk together the oil, vinegar, and garlic, then combine with the beans, salt and pepper, and red pepper flakes. Pour the beans mixture on top of a bed of spinach, and top with chunks of tuna. Serve immediately.
Insalata de Fagioli e Tonno
This was a great lunch; it was filling yet I don’t feel weighed down. The cannelini beans lend a creamy texture to the whole dish, and the tuna packed in olive oil tastes more elegant than the light tuna in water pouches that I usually buy. The mild tangerine vinegar also adds a subtle citrus flavor to the whole dish. Next time I will garnish with a squeeze of lemon juice too to add more freshness.
Do you have a go-to salad recipe made with ingredients you always keep on hand?
{ 16 comments… read them below or add one }
This salad looks great! I made an open-faced tuna melt using tuna, capers, salt and pepper and cheddar cheese. SO good!
This is hilarious, my roommate made the exact same thing for dinner last night and used the recipe from Saveur. It smelled great
Oooh Michelle I have not had a tuna melt in a while, I think I’ll make that too!
Haha Elizabeth, I think maybe canned tuna is all the rage this week :p
I’ve made something similar and stuffed it into tomatoes and they were AWESOME. I highly recommend if you have leftovers!
That looks delicious. I make something similar and put it over pasta.
This looks tasty! I throw pretty much anything in salad and don’t really have a usual. In the summer, my salads are much more fun with tons of tomatoes and fresh corn!
I love makeshift salads!
your salad looks yummy.. my go to salad, mix greens, cranberries, gorgonzola cheese and roasted walnuts.. on a bad day, as long as i have grilled chicken in the house and some other veggies, i can make a salad
yum! Love tuna salads. Sometimes put garbanzo beans to mine with mayo.
So glad you stopped by the Food Hound! I love your blog, and I fully support addictions to chocolate! And I am soooo into using the foreign name for a dish. Although Chicken in Wine Sauce sounds good, Coq au Vin sounds tons better
I always have canned tuna around, and love salads like this!! I usually never think of adding the beans, but I really should…I love beans and they do add a great texture. Looks delicious!
This looks great, and I love how simple and affordable it is. Anything that includes arugula and avocado is a go-to salad for me!
Yum – this light recipe looks like such an interesting combination of ingredients!
Yep. That name does make all the difference! Beans & tuna certainly doesn’t sound too appealing, but the other does. And I love lunches like that – filling but not heavy.
I love how healthy this is! Perfect for a quick and easy lunch! (Doesn’t everything sound better in Italian? Totally the language of love.)